Chef Richard Fisher worked at a café in high school that made homemade pastries, donuts and ice cream. “I started making donuts from scratch and never looked back.” After cooking from age 15-25 he decided that he should get a more formal degree and technical experience so that he could advance. After attending culinary schools, he spent time cooking abroad in Paris, Hong Kong, and Vienna. “Hong Kong was awesome. It is very trendy and diverse; and at 6’3, I felt like a giant.” After traveling the globe, he found that he liked working in resorts.

Fisher actually got to cook for Bill Clinton’s 50th Birthday party. “It was fun to chat with him and feed the secret service. In this industry, I meet all kinds of people and am not really start struck; well not anymore. Just last week, I was backstage with Foreigner before they performed at the casino.”

At Mystic Lake, Fisher oversees a staff of over 200 people and 14 different restaurants and cafes AND room service. “We serve roughly 7,000-8,000 meals a day. For special occasions, such as New Year’s Eve, that number jumps to 12,000 meals.”

Fisher is drawn to American Regional cooking and likes to add French and German influences. He likes to put a modern spin on the classics without being over the top or pretentious. “I draw inspiration from everywhere; TV, books, magazines, and my staff; we are always challenging each other and working together creatively in an open think tank environment.”

Fisher has noticed that people are much more educated about food these days. “There is so much more exposure to food and ingredients than there used to be; the average person today knows about as much as chefs did 20 years ago. I like that people are willing to try new things; people are branching out from the basic meat and potato dishes and becoming more adventurous.”

The best compliment Fisher could receive about his food is a clean plate. “We are only as good as the last meal we prepare. Fortunately, there is a lot of instant gratification in what we do.”

For fun, Fisher likes to spend time with his family, run, bike, ski and travel.

Fisher is passionate about charities that help children. “I was fortunate to be blessed with three healthy, happy boys. What the March of Dimes does is important and it tugs at my heart strings.”